Vallejo couple arrested on suspicion of meth pill operation

The Drug Enforcement Administration arrested a couple Thursday on suspicion of manufacturing counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine in their Vallejo care home for the elderly.

Agents seized 31 pounds of tablets containing suspected methamphetamine, approximately 17 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and possibly other evidence from the Genesis Care Home at 1169 Lewis Ave. Henry Benson, 37, and Roselle Cipriano, 36, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a mixture and substance containing the drug and the manufacture and distribution of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

The DEA’s Sacramento District office began investigating a counterfeit tableting operation in the Vallejo area in 2017. Court documents allege there were multiple purchases of thousands of tablets that varied in color and markings during the investigation.

There were yellow tablets bearing a Kool-Aid smiling pitcher, yellow tablets with the likeness of President Donald Trump and the word “Trump” stamped on the back, yellow tablets with the Tesla emblem and blue minion-shaped tablets, according to the DEA. Lab tests indicated the presence of methamphetamine, according to the DEA.

Benson and Cipriano, who are married, were identified as the suspected source of the pills, and they were associated with their residence and the Genesis Care Home, DEA officials said.

Benson and Cipriano were scheduled for a detention hearing in Sacramento Federal Court Friday, and the Genesis Care Home remains open and in the care of medical staff, the DEA said.

Vallejo police and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection also investigated the pill manufacturing operation.